Power crisis in UP: Piyush Goyal, Akhilesh Yadav spar; people sweat at 47°C

NEW DELHI/KANPUR: Newly-appointed Coal and Power Minister Piyush Goyal and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav today sparred on the issue of acute power shortage in the state, which is reeling under long outages in the peak summer leading to protests.

The Chief Minister alleged that the central government is not making available enough fuel for the power companies in the state.

He said he will soon write to the central government seeking coal for the thermal power projects in the state.

Listing sources that can be tapped by the state for power, Goyal said UP can also procure adequate electricity from the exchanges.

"We have supplied adequate quantity of coal to power plants in Uttar Pradesh as per the linkage. We have also offered the state government to buy power from the northern grid.

"Whatever assistance the state government requires we are happy to provide, I have personally been trying to contact UP Chief Minister (Akhilesh Yadav) since morning and have left messages but have unfortunately not heard from him," Goyal added.

BSP supremo Mayawati also joined the issue hurling charges against the ruling party in the state that power supply has been restricted to native villages and parliamentary constituencies represented by SP.

BJP President in UP Lakshmikant Bajpayee alleged that the the state government has created the power crisis after it lost out to the BJP in the Lok Sabha elections.

All this amist people sweating in the soaring temperature levels. Allahabad recored the highest temperature 46.7 degree Celsius.

People took to streets in various parts of the state demanding immediate power restoration. Yesterday, BJP protested at 30 district headquarters against crisis.

The peak demand in Uttar Pradesh is to the order of 12,700 MW. The state gets 10,700 MW, leaving a shortfall of around of 2,000 MW at present.